


Captured Moments

by SilverFox89



Series: From Then to Now [15]
Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, Mentioned Character Death, amused Shikamaru, curious teenager, not so amused Neji at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-23 14:38:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3772006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverFox89/pseuds/SilverFox89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shikaku finds something in the attic. He learns a little more about his parents because of it, including something Neji would have preferred to have forgotten entirely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captured Moments

**Author's Note:**

> 30 Day OTP Challenge for the Fluff Impaired Prompt #15: Photographs

"Oi, Oyaji."

 

The sound of fourteen year old Nara Shikaku's voice caused Shikamaru to turn around to look at his oldest child. The teen held an open box of old photo albums. The box looked familiar but the Nara could not place where he had seen it before.

 

"Where did you find that?" Shikamaru asked curiously.

 

"The attic. I was looking for something when I found it... It...was with some of the things baa-chan left behind," Shikaku said a little hesitantly. Shikamaru's eyes pinched at the corners in a familiar look of pain and the younger male shifted uncomfortably. "I can take it back up if you want..."

 

"No, it's fine," Shikamaru said softly. "...bring it here, Shikaku, and sit down. I'm not angry at you... I just miss her a lot. I always thought she'd be here longer than she was but kaa-san's back with my Oyaji now. I didn't really go through anything she left after she passed away. Too painful at the time."

 

Shikaku sat down beside his father, set the box down on the floor and looked at him with dark, worried eyes, "You sure you're up to this? I know we all took it hard but baa-chan's passing hit you harder than the rest of us."

 

"I'll be fine. It's been almost two years after all. It's about time I stopped ignoring what she left us. Go ahead and pull one out. We'll go through them together, yeah?"

 

Shikaku's dark eyes lit up briefly and Shikamaru was glad that he'd taken a more hands on approach when it came to raising the twins. It made it so much easier to connect with them and Shikamaru was grateful for that. It meant that Shikaku and Yume never hesitated to come to him for his honest advice or opinion when they needed help. It was also better this way since they never needed to muddle along through life trying to figure things out the way he had. Sure, there were still some things that they needed to learn the hard way but that was something everyone had to do.

 

And honestly, watching his son pretend that he wasn't as excited as he really was, was all sorts of adorable. It made Shikamaru smile as the teen pulled out the first album. They settled it on their laps so that it was between both of them and Shikamaru opened it. He knew instantly that this was from his much younger years - long before he reached adulthood and longer still before the twins had even been born - and he laughed almost immediately at the first photo. Laugh lines fanned out from then corners of his eyes and appeared around his mouth as he grinned at the photo of Neji and himself back when they'd only just really started calling each other friends. Shikamaru was coaxing Neji to hold out the rice cracker he'd given the Hyūga to feed the deer with. Neji looked apprehensive while his younger self had a look that was a cross between sleepy and amused.

 

"Oyaji, what's so funny? It's just you and tou-san feeding the deer."

 

"This was _**long**_ before you're tou-san and I even got together. Back when we were just getting started out as friends, Shikaku. Believe or not, but your tou-san..." Shikamaru paused for a moment. "Your strong, no nonsense tou-san use to be frightened of our family's deer."

 

"No way," Shikaku stated as he narrowed his eyes at him disbelievingly.

 

"Yes way. Boy was he embarrassed when my Oyaji started teasing the heck out him. You've seen how your sister gets when she's really embarrassed about something. Now imagine your tou-san at that age, only more stoic and not use to being teased like your sister is."

 

"Wow. Sis is already scary and troublesome enough as it is when she gets like that. You're saying tou-san was the same way?"

 

"He sure was. Neji was just able to hide it a bit better. It never stopped my Oyaji from teasing him though. I was just a new Chūnin back then and he was still a Genin. Not that he stayed that way for long. Neji made Jōnin long before I did."

 

"I remember Ino-oba-san saying something along those lines before. What's going on in this one?" Shikaku pointed at the next picture.

 

Shikamaru looked at it and snickered. "That was all kaa-san's idea. Neji and I had been friends for a bit of time when this was taken. She suggested a proper meet and greet of the teams since we had spent time at each others' training grounds but our teams had never really gotten together. I don't know what it was that Ino and TenTen were fighting over but Neji and I decided it wasn't our place to get involved – honestly, I just plain refused to pay too much attention to what was going on for the sake of my sanity."

 

The picture was of the first official -according to Ino- meeting of Team 9 and Team 10. Neji and Shikamaru stood off to one side looking completely at ease with one another while also looking equally exasperated by their teammates. Ino and TenTen were butting heads over something while Choji looked on in fear. Lee was taking notes while Gai commented and Asuma was looking skyward as if asking for divine intervention.

 

"They don't fight like that anymore do they?"

 

"Only when they're playing around. Though Ino and Sakura are a different story but their still good friends."

 

"Oh. So what about this one?"

 

The next picture was of Neji looking very uncomfortable as Yoshino held out a cake covered in chocolate frosting and it had fifteen candles in it. Shikamaru's grin softened at the sight. "I actually took this one. Kaa-san found out that he'd never had a birthday party after his tou-san died and she surprised me with this too since I had no idea she had planned this for him. Just handed me the camera and presented him with the cake. Your tou-san had no clue what to do with himself. It was a good birthday for him though. I think his fifteenth is the one he looks back on the most fondly."

 

"Well darn," Shikaku said with a slightly mischievous look on his face. "Yume will be disappointed that it's not the year we made him breakfast for the first time."

 

Shikamaru barked a startled laugh, "Oh gods! I remember that! The kitchen was a disaster area and you two were covered in flour. How Neji and I managed to sleep through it all is a mystery. Breakfast turned out okay though. We were very surprised."

Shikaku grinned, "Baa-chan let us help her when she cooked."

 

"That explains it," Shikamaru said with a shrug.

 

"And this one?" Shikaku asked after he turned the page. He tilted his head a little to get a better look. "You know, Oyaji, this picture is kind of, …dare I say it, cute."

 

Shikamaru's eyes went wide and he blushed slightly. "I've never seen this one before. When the hell did this even happen?"

 

It was a picture of Neji and himself sleeping in the backyard of his parents' home. Shikamaru had somehow managed to sprawl out across Neji's chest and his face was buried in the Hyūga's neck. Neji looked to be sixteen or seventeen and his face was peaceful in the fading sunset light. The Hyūga also had his arms wrapped around the Nara.

 

"I believe," a familiar voice started from just before the kitchen doorway. "that particular picture was taken long after your sixteenth birthday party had ended."

 

Shikamaru looked up, startled, "Neji! I didn't hear you come in the back door. And my sixteenth? I don't remember this at all."

 

"Apparently, you would have slept through an explosive tag going off that day since you could not be wakened. Your father carted you up to your bed afterwards. He woke me up in the process and I was able to get to the guest room on my own. I didn't know about the picture though. It's a very nice one."

 

Shikamaru shook his head, bemused. "The stuff you learn about your childhood when you think there's nothing left to learn."

 

Neji laughed, "Indeed. So where did these come from?"

 

"Attic," Shikaku piped up suddenly. "Were you really scared of our deer when you were a kid, tou-san?"

 

At that question Neji leveled a slow, hard look at Shikamaru and the Nara gave him a slightly mischievous look - the same one Shikaku had given him earlier - and bolted from the couch and out the front door when Neji lunged at him.

 

"GET BACK HERE, NARA!" Neji's voice roared from behind Shikamaru and the Nara laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> Mischievous Naras for the win!


End file.
